


Five Times

by intomymindspace (cryswinches)



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Major Character Injury, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:13:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29750472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryswinches/pseuds/intomymindspace
Summary: Four times Nate wanted to tell you he loved you, and the one time he did.
Relationships: Nathan Drake/Reader
Kudos: 2





	Five Times

**Author's Note:**

> I miss writing for this game, I really do.

**One**

“Nate, _please_! I’ve got no one else to go with!”  
  
“Why don’t you ask Sam?” You glared at him.   
  
“I’m not going to bring Sam to my best friend’s wedding.”  
  
“Wait, I’m getting married?”  
  
“Nate!”   
  
“ _What_?” He held one of his pretty innocent smiles on his face.   
  
“You’re avoiding giving me an answer.” He sighed, his chest heaving up and down.   
  
“Fine, I’ll be your date. But you owe me one.” He relished gazing at the bright, wide smile that grew on your lips as you jumped up and down enthusiastically before hugging him.   
  
Nate wrapped his arms around your waist and rested his chin on the top of your head as you leaned into his chest.   
  
“I’m still mad that you called her your best friend instead of me.”   
  
“ _Oh shush_.”

Nate had been staring at you all night, especially in the maroon dress you were wearing — not that you weren’t beautiful all the time. But tonight your smile just seemed brighter as you laughed with your newlywed best friend, and he knew he wasn’t feeling fuzzy because of the bourbon he was currently cradling.   
  
“Are you sure you both maybe don’t have, like, that _unsaid thing_ going on?” You looked at her weird.   
  
“What do you mean?” 

“With Nate! He’s looking at you the way Brendon looks at me.” You laughed at what she said. “I’m serious! It’s like Paul Rudd looking at Reese Witherspoon in _How Do You Know!_ Just look at the idiot!” You turned to find Nate gazing at you from the bar, and he broke into a small grin when he noticed you saw him staring. You returned the smile before turning back.

“I don’t get it, he always looks like that.”   
  
“God, you are so oblivious.” You rolled your eyes and sighed.   
  
“There’s nothing going on between us, _okay?_ He’s practically my best man friend.”   
  
“He’s walking over, oh my gosh.”   
  
“Dude, chill.” You gave your friend a pointed look before turning around to greet Nathan. “Hey Nate.” His smile stretched from ear to ear.   
  
“ _Hey, you_. Mind if I whisk her away to dance?” Your friend’s eyes bugged out of her face as she nodded.   
  
“Of course! Go ahead.” She pushed you into Nathan and began walking towards the DJ booth, making sure you caught her wink.   
  
“Man, she seems really nice.” You gave Nate a strange look. He grinned and shrugged. “ _What_? I gotta be nice towards my competition, amirite?” You laughed along with him at his joke and slapped his chest lightly.   
  
That’s when the lights dimmed and the music changed into something a lot slower; you cursed under your breath, and Nate’s thick eyebrows furrowed.   
  
“What, you don’t like dancing?”   
  
“No! I’m just probably gonna — “ you were about to walk away, but Nathan slipped an arm around your waist and grasped your hand with his free one.   
  
“Relax, I’ll make sure you don’t slip and fall and look stupid.” You glared at him, wanting to wipe the smirk off his perfect lips. Instead, you rest your free hand on his shoulder and fiddled with his suit collar.   
  
“Your tie is crooked,” you mumbled to him, fixing it. You didn’t notice the endearing gaze he gave you.   
  
“Thanks.” You looked up to see a soft smile on his face as the two of you swayed to the music.   
  
“You having fun tonight?” His smile only got brighter.   
  
“Yeah, now that I’m dancing with you.” Your cheeks went red as you looked at the buttons on his dress shirt.   
  
“Shut up, you big lug.” He chuckled as he dipped you.   
  
“That was smooth though, right?”  
  
“Yes handsome, it was very smooth. I almost slipped.” There was this twinkle in his eyes that you had never noticed before — or was it, that you hadn’t bothered to notice.   
  
“Did I tell you that you look pretty tonight?”  
  
“Not yet.” You looked up at him again.   
  
“Well, you’re always beautiful.”  
  
“Nate — “  
  
“But tonight, you look absolutely stunning.” You rested your forehead on his chest.   
  
“Stop,” you whined, “you’re making me blush.”  
  
“That was the plan, sweetheart.” You turned your head just slightly so that your temple now rested on Nathan’s chest.   
  
“You’re an idiot, Nathan. But you’re still my best friend.” You felt him laugh as his chest bounced slightly, rumbling as well.   
  
Nathan looked at you, your eyes closed and head resting against him as he lead the two of you in a slow shuffle on the dance floor. He sighed as he memorized this moment with you — the way you smelled, the feel of your body against his, your soft hand clutching his larger, calloused one, and how your eyelashes fluttered every time you opened your eyes for just a moment.   
  
You didn’t even notice the way his heart beat faster as he looked at you.   
  
“Hey,” he started gently, motivating himself. He was going to do it. He was going to tell you. But, you looked up at him with your doe eyes, and he was rendered speechless.   
  
“ **I — uh, you getting tired?** ” He recovered quickly, his voice still managing to be soft. As if on cue, you yawned, making him melt as he smiled.   
  
“I’ll take that as a yes, tiger.”

* * *

**Two**

You sat silently as you worked, huffing to yourself as Nate was sprawled on the hotel sofa. You had managed to stop the bleeding and remove both of the bullets that had been lodged into his bicep.   
  
Nate gazed at you as you cleaned his arm, your eyebrows furrowed and your lips in a pout.   
  
“Are you mad at me?” He asked you softly, making you look up at him. The glare in your eyes made him wince.   
  
“Sorry,” he mumbled. He wanted you to talk to him. He wanted you to say something — anything. You hadn’t spoken to him since the both of you stumbled into the car, dodging bullets. Nate sighed.   
  
“Will you _please_ just talk to me?” You looked into his puppy-dog eyes again and cursed at your weakness, and you sighed in response.   
  
“Look, Nate,” you started, rubbing salve onto his wounds, “I get that what we do is dangerous. But that doesn’t mean you get to push me out of the way so you get shot.” His forehead creased and his eyes darkened at what you said.   
  
“No, you’re wrong.” He sat up, looking at you intensely. “Look, you need to understand that I — “ he swallowed before continuing, “ **I care about you a lot. That gives me every right to take bullets to the bicep for you**.”  
  
His face was dangerously close to yours, so you tried to relieve the tension by bandaging his arm; it didn’t help that he had removed his shirt.   
  
“What if the bullet had hit a few inches to the left, huh? Or it hit a few inches up and hit your artery?” His eyes softened as you said that — he knew you were scared, not angry.   
  
“ _Hey_ ,” Nate cupped your cheek, making you look into his eyes. “I would take a bullet for you every day, and I know you’d do the same for me, as much as I’d never want that to happen. _Okay_?” You sighed, looking back into his eyes. He was giving you that look, one you always recognized, but never understood.   
  
“ _Okay_ ,” you said, allowing a soft smile to grace your lips, “just as long as you come back in one piece.”  
  
“Great.” He began to absentmindedly stroke the back of your head.   
  
“I need to elaborate. One _alive_ piece. If you come back in one dead piece, I’m resurrecting you and killing you myself.”  
  
Nate looked at you with absolute adoration in his eyes as his smile stretched from ear to ear.  
  
“Deal.”

* * *

**Three**

“ _Shit_ ,” Nate cursed, his arm in front of your torso as he backed the both of you up against a wall. “They’re coming from everywhere.”   
  
He grabbed his gun, and you grabbed the shotgun that was attached to his back. The armed mercenaries were strolling around the compound. Nate turned to you and whispered.   
  
“We can take them out silently, right?” You exhaled and nodded.   
  
“I’ll watch your back.”   
  
“Okay.” He inhaled and exhaled quickly, his grey eyes storming. Nate turned and was about to exit from your hiding spot, but he hesitated and turned back towards you.   
  
“Uh, in case we don’t make it out — “  
  
“ _Hey_ ,” you cupped his stubbly cheek, causing him to look at you with soft eyes, his heart beating out of his chest. “We’ll be fine, _okay?”_ He looked down at your lips, really wanting to kiss you. Instead, he nodded before pressing his lips chastely to your forehead.   
  
“ **Be careful**.”

* * *

**Four**

“Nate, I don’t understand! She was so hot! Just call her!” You complained to your friend as the both of you walked down the street after exiting the diner you just ate at.   
  
“Look…”  
  
“Dude, I’m serious, she literally wrote her number down on the receipt.”  
  
“Well,” he gave you an exasperated look, “maybe I’m just not _freaking_ interested, okay?” Your eyes widened.   
  
“Well damn, okay.” He gave you a sheepish grin.   
  
“Sorry. I’ve just got my sights already set on _someone else_.” You completely missed the look he was giving you.   
  
“Sure, you meant some _thing_ , right? Nathan and his Treasure. I won’t judge.” He rolled his eyes and shoved you playfully. Couldn’t you get the hint?  
  
“ **Something like that**.” That’s when you noticed that sparkle in his eyes as he looked at you.   
  
“What?” His cheeks turned red.   
  
“Nothing, nothing, I just — “ he looked forward at the street market, but never finished his sentence. He couldn’t tell you.   
  
Nate couldn’t just ruin over a decade and a half of friendship to tell you he loved you — _right_?

* * *

**Five**

Nate sighed in relief when he saw Sully helping you down the wooden stairs as Tenzin walked away with his daughter.

“You love her, don’t you?” Nate turned. Of course he loved you, whether he wanted to admit it to himself or not. All the years and all the struggles had taught him that you had his back and he had yours. He was more than willing to sacrifice himself just to see that smile — because he was in love. He was in love even if it hurt him not to tell you from the beginning.

“Chloe…” he was rendered speechless. The British woman only smiled brightly and chuckled.

“ _No_ , Drake, you listen to me. You tell that girl you love her now before you lose her again.”

“Chloe, I️ — “

“No buts. You need someone like her. Now go.” She smiled and walked away, no hard feelings towards you or Drake.

You smiled weakly as Sully walked you over to Nate.

“ _Hey_.” He cracked a smile. You were still as beautiful as ever.

“ _Hey, you_.” He held out his arm as he replied.

“Those are some bags,” you teased, seeing the dark, heavy circles under his eyes. He let out a breath in amusement, not wanting to admit the bags weren’t from the the whole trip, but from staying by your bedside the entire time you were unconscious. He began walking you to watch the sun rise over the mountain range. You sighed when you didn’t get a spoken reply out of him.

“Admit it, you were worried about me.”

“Pfft, no I️ wasn’t. I️ knew you were gonna be just fine.”

“Sure.”

“No, I’m serious!”

“Oh really? Not even tears?” Nate widened his eyes. He had definitely cried.

“Not a chance.” His smirk failed miserably at hiding his lie.

“Okay…” you trailed off, looking at the sky as the pink and orange hues painted a idyllic landscape over the Himalayas. Nate was staring at you the whole time.

“What are you looking at, Drake?”

“Nothing,” he smiled. “Just a better view.” You rolled your eyes as you looked at him, but the look in his eyes and the smile on his face made your heart stop and your breath hitch as he moved both his hands to hold your waist to keep you steady.

“Right.” You tried hiding the blush from your face due to his piercing gaze by looking back at the sky. He just kept staring. Nate caressed your cheek as the rays began to hit your face perfectly. He stereotypically tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear as he continued to admire you.

“ _Do you think we left pretty empty-handed_?” You asked, trying to diffuse the tension. You failed, obviously.

“No,” he said, a glint of warmness entering his eyes. “ _I️ wouldn’t say that._ ”

With that, Nate tucked his finger under your chin and pulled you towards him gently as he leaned in, sweetly placing his chapped lips onto yours. After the initial shock, you found yourself sliding your hands up his torso and chest before caressing the nape of his neck as you entwined your arms around him, kissing him back. Nate deepened this kiss as he wound both his arms tightly and securely around your waist and back, pulling you as close as humanly possible to him, never wanting to let you go ever again.

“ _I️ thought I️’d lost you_.” His voice was soft, and so were his pain-filled eyes — just thinking of you almost dying in his arms was hard enough. You looked up at him to read his face, your lips so close to touching his again.

“ _For a moment there, you did_.” Your reply was almost a whisper. He looked into your eyes deeply.

“ **I️ love you**.” He leaned his forehead onto yours, nudging your nose with his. You clutched onto him even tighter as you smiled.

“ _I️ know_.” You kissed him again as the sun slowly rose, telling him you fell just as hard for him.


End file.
